If you believe social media it appears that Osbourne family members Sharon and Ozzie are headed for divorce after 33 years together. This goes to show that people get divorced after even after being together for many decades.

In a recent case we acted for a client where the couple had been together for more than 40 years and decided to go their separate ways later in life.

Some people stay for the sake of the children and wait until the children have grown up before separating. Other couples grow apart and start leading separate lives, sadly realising that it may be time to separate.

Some people suffer from domestic violence for many years and are caught in a cycle of abuse and cannot see the reality of their situation until many years later. Sometimes this is due to the lack of financial security and others because of a fear for their own safety.

The average length of a marriage in Australia is about 12 years which, over the course of a person’s lifetime, is not really that long. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, it appears that the average age when people get divorced is when they are in their 40’s.

These figures steadily decrease as people get older, where only about 1-3% over the age of 60 divorce each other.

If you need help in relation to a family law matter, call Ruth Single on 02 4324 7699.